Allstream's Chief Operating Officer elected to Board of MEF

TORONTO, July 29, 2013 /CNW/ - Allstream, Canada's all-business communications provider, today announced that its Chief Operating Officer, Mike Strople, has been elected to the Board of Directors for the MEF (Metro Ethernet Forum). At the MEF's Annual Meeting in Montreal on July 23, the membership elected three new members to the Board, including Mr. Strople. The Board consists of 11 Directors from around the world. Mr. Strople will be the only Director from a Canadian organization.

The MEF, as the defining body for Carrier Ethernet, is a global industry alliance made up of more than 215 organizations including telecommunications service providers, cable MSOs, network equipment/software manufacturers, semiconductors vendors and testing organizations. The MEF's mission is to accelerate the worldwide adoption of Carrier-class Ethernet networks and services.

"I'm very pleased to represent Allstream on the MEF Board," said Mr. Strople. "Allstream believes in the activities of the MEF, including the framework for interoperability which ensures consistent, end-to-end operational and service excellence."

"It has been an exciting couple of weeks for us, first we announced a second point of presence in Chicago which will provide access to more than 40 of the leading domestic and international carriers," said Allstream President Dean Prevost. "And now we have Mike's election to the MEF board, which reflects our ongoing commitment to the MEF and our support of its mission and objectives."

For many years Allstream has been enabling businesses' migration to all-Ethernet environments through its ongoing investment in local fibre facility expansion and upgrades to its core network. Allstream's native LAN network services can directly connect businesses into approximately 3,000 buildings across Canada and has U.S. connection points in Seattle, New York City, Buffalo and Chicago.

About Allstream

Allstream is a Canadian leader in IP communications and the only national communications provider that works exclusively with business customers of all sizes. With nearly 600,000 customer connections, Allstream's momentum is fuelled by the knowledge, skills and entrepreneurial spirit of its 2,500 employees across the country who collaborate with customers to determine their unique communications solutions needs. Supported by its more than 30,000-kilometre nationwide high-performance fibre-optic network, Allstream's broad portfolio of business solutions are built from an array of advanced communications technologies and services including a wide range of innovative, highly-scalable IP-based solutions to help organizations communicate more efficiently and profitably. Allstream takes pride in its commitment to delivering an exceptional customer experience, and has long been recognized by its technology partners for the contributions made to their businesses. Allstream is wholly-owned by Manitoba Telecom Services Inc., which is listed on the TSX (trading symbol: MBT). For information on Allstream's products and solutions, please visit www.allstream.com.

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